Sweetwater Ranch is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the southeast section of Hardee County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Long/Lat: 27°24.6’ N and 81°42.2’ W Peak altitude is , but the topography varies. Sweetwater is 15 minutes by car southeast of

Zolfo Springs, Florida Zolfo Springs is a town in Hardee County, Florida, Hardee County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida Heartland region. The population was 1,737 at the 2020 census. Etymology The name of the town got its name in the early 1800s, w ...

, and is bordered by

U.S. 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that spans in the Southeastern United States. It runs close to the East Coast of the United States, At ...

to the west, SR 66 to the North, and the unincorporated communities of Crewsville to the east and Fish Branch/Gardner to the South. It contains a significant portion of the Oak Creek watershed and borders on the Charley Creek watershed, both of which empty into

Peace River The Peace River () is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in the Peace-Athabasca Delta to form the ...

. For many years, Sweetwater was the location of Hardee County's only lake, Lake Frances, which is privately owned. Sweetwater is only 15 minutes from

Highlands Hammock State Park Highlands Hammock State Park is a park west of Sebring in Highlands County, Florida, off U.S. 27. The park opened in 1931, four years before the Florida state park system was created. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Place ...

, and 20 minutes by car from Highlands County, and the city of Sebring, which offers regional shopping, recreational and medical centers. While the center of the community was roughly considered the Sweetwater Church of Christ, the congregation was disbanded in the early 1970s and the building demolished. The Church's cemetery remains and was renamed the Mercer Cemetery as a significant number of the population are from that family. The center of the community is now the intersection of Sweetwater (formally County Road 656 and Merle Langford Road) and Crewsville Roads.

History

Sweetwater Ranch once had a thriving rural population whose chief occupation was farming and cattle and at one point had its own one-room school and was home to a large turpentine mill with a commissary. Most families lived off the land, farming and harvesting domesticated animals such as beef, pork and poultry. The collection of raccoon and alligator hides was a way of life for some, as was (it was rumored) the making of moonshine. The population has steadily declined since the 1950s and the major industry is now citrus and cattle. The population continues to consist mainly of working-class families, with a few retirees.

Future plans

In early 2007, plans were revealed for a large planned community beginning at Sweetwater Road and US 17 and extending back to Charley Creek to be named Sweetwater Ranch. When fully realized, this development could double the current population of Hardee County.

References

*Location: Long / Lat / Elevation: Google Earth centered on intersection of Crewsville and Sweetwater Roads, 3300 Crewsville Road, Zolfo Springs, Florida 33890 *Sweetwater Ranch plans from the March 29, 2007 edition of ''The Herald Advocate'', Hardee County's Weekly Newspaper. {{Coord, 27, 24.6, N, 81, 42.2, W, display=title Unincorporated communities in Hardee County, Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida